Mobile County Public Schools Superintendent Martha Peek notified the school board of his promotion at a meeting Monday night.

“Rick has been here,” Smith said. “I’ve watched him now for five football seasons. I like his style. I like the way he relates to kids. He has a real business-like approach and is a real smart guy. He sees things on the field the average person doesn’t see.

“He can watch a play and dissect both sides of the ball and tell you what is going on. That’s gift. He’s been at Murphy for a while and is a part of the community. I think he’s a quality person.”

Cauley, 38, is in his 15th year overall at Murphy. He’s coached football for 14 of those years. One season he coached at Shaw while still teaching at Murphy. He’s been the Panthers’ offensive coordinator for the past seven years.

“Things have a funny way of working themselves out,” Cauley said. “I’ve felt like I’ve been close (to being a head coach) before. I’ve looked other places, been offered other jobs. For me, this is the best situation there can possibly be.

“If you can’t make it here, you probably can’t make it. It’s a tough job, but good job, and I think it is the right one for me. You are only as good as the people around you, and I’ve got some great people around me. Murphy is the perfect place for Rick Cauley.”

Cauley was born in Saraland and graduated from Satsuma High. He played college football at UAB and at Mississippi College and played baseball in between at the University of Mobile. He finished his degree at South Alabama.

“I learned a lot from all three of those guys, and I owe them a lot,” Cauley said.

Smith said Lee supported Cauley to replace him, and that was a big endorsement.

“I think this is what Ronn wanted,” he said. “Ronn loves this place, and he wanted us to do what was best for this school and this program. Rick stepped right in as the interim and started working and making changes he want to implement in case he was hired. It’s been a smooth transition.”

Cauley said he was unsure if he would still coordinate the team’s offense or not.

“We are still trying to evaluate what are kids are going to be able to do,” he said. “As head coach, I definitely will have to deal with a bigger picture than just calling plays. That was easy. It was like sitting in the press box playing Nintendo. That was fun.

“Now I’m learning there is more to football than just going up in the booth. It’s a lot tough job than it looks, and we haven’t played a game yet.”

Smith said he has not made a decision on the athletic director position yet. Cauley has applied for it. Smith said he also has interviews scheduled for later in the week.